[Fox Sports] This is the years Swift breaks out

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Steve Alexander /
Posted: 10 hours ago



This week, I'll answer 10 of my own burning questions about the upcoming NBA season.

Training camp starts on Oct. 4, so things will progress quickly from there with the season tipping off on Nov. 1. In the meantime, it will be pretty quiet for a week or two other than some unexpected minor surgeries, free-agent signings and maybe a trade or two since Lorenzen Wright is still with Memphis as of today.
Here are my 10 burning questions going into the preseason this year.


1. Can Joe Johnson really play point guard?
Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Steve Belkin and John Dishinger say no. Mike Woodson, Joe Johnson and Billy Knight say yes. I think he will be able to handle point guard duties for the Hawks to a certain extent, but I think Tyronn Lue will get more minutes than Woodson currently sees him getting.

In reality, Johnson is a 6-7, 230-pound small forward who can also do a fine job playing shooting guard. My theory is the Hawks don't really care if they have a true point guard on the floor or not this year. They simply want to put the best young team they can out there, let them run and learn how to play NBA basketball. This will be a crucial year in the development of the Josh's (Smith and Childress) and newcomers Marvin Williams and Salim Stoudamire. It's also a year in which Al Harrington needs to step up and become a leader with Johnson. If J.J. and Al can get some good chemistry going, and the whole team can keep their attitudes in check and fight through another dismal win-loss record that's surely coming this year, they could be a real force in the 2006 season.

So, what's the answer to the question? It really doesn't matter if Joe Johnson can play point guard or not, at least not to the Hawks. Consider that he'll be getting 40 minutes a night on a bad team, combined with the eye-opening "zero games missed in the last three years stat," and you've got yourself a fantasy stud this season.


2. Is Eddy Curry's heart problem going away?
It depends on which heart problem we're talking about. If it's the enlarged/irregular heartbeat problem that his lack of a contract/trade is being blamed on, there's no way to know for sure. However, I don't think his physical heart condition will be an issue this season once he is in uniform and playing.


Eddy Curry grabs far fewer boards than he should for a man of his size and frame. One of his two heart problems is up to him to correct. (Glenn James / Getty Images)

If we're talking about his "heart," as in work ethic and character, that's a whole different story. Curry is now famous for laziness, both on the court and off. He did come into last season in great shape and looked like a different guy, but could muster just under five rebounds per game. Are you kidding me? I can count more guards on both hands who averaged more rebounds than Curry did last year, and he's a 7-foot, 300-pound monster. The Bulls, along with most other teams, are secretly thankful a medical condition of some sort arose with Curry, because now they have a very convenient excuse not to sign him to an outrageous multiyear deal worth $80 million.

If he has always been lazy and finally showed up in shape at the start of a contract year, what makes anyone think he's going to keep it together once he signs the mega-deal? Quite simply, he won't. You've seen it with countless other big men over the years, and Erick Dampier and Mark Blount come to mind immediately.

Curry will likely just stay with the Bulls this year, hope his heart ailment becomes an afterthought and then go for some sort of mega-deal at the end of the season.


3. What were the Lakers, Clippers and Magic thinking?
Do you think these three teams regret their draft picks now? I went on Los Angeles radio the day before the draft and boldly claimed the Lakers would take Andrew Bynum and the Clippers would take Yaroslav Korolev. Did I believe it? Well, sort of, but I wasn't really sure they'd both be willing to take guys who may never even see the light of day. Then they did it! Korolev isn't ready for the NBA in the first place and could easily stay in Europe this year, while Bynum is at least two years away. However, the Lakers hired Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to work with the kid, so maybe they have hopes for him later this season or next year, although it's highly doubtful he could make an impact that soon. Had Phil Jackson been the coach of the Lakers earlier, I'm guessing they would have taken one of several sure things instead. Names like May, Granger, Green, Warrick, McCants, Wright, Graham and Robinson all come to mind.

Then you get to the Magic's selection of Fran Vazquez with the No. 11 pick. It's a miracle he wasn't selected by the Raptors instead, since their luck would have made his whole "deciding to go play in Spain instead of the NBA" thing make complete sense.

Instead, Vazquez is Orlando's PR mess, causing extreme embarrassment for an organization that had him on the cover of their fan magazine shortly after draft day, and after he announced he was not coming. Apparently, his girlfriend has him on a Christie-like leash. She told him he would not like America, and that he needed to stay right where he was. His response was not much more than, "Um, OK." What a joke. And why did the Magic not seem to have a clue this was coming? I'm no business mogul, but if I were considering making that big of an investment, I probably would have gone to Spain to make sure everything smelled right.


4. What was Rob Babcock thinking?
Speaking of the Raptors, have you started your office pool to see when Babcock loses his job yet? Yeah, me neither. But we should. Like many husbands out there, this dude just can't seem to do anything right. Go ahead and type "Rob Babcock is an idiot" into a search engine and you'll be amazed at the number of direct hits you'll see.

I don't claim to be a Raptors expert, but here's a short list of things I know of off the top of my head.


Rob Babcock should consider himself fortunate if he can hang onto his job in Toronto past Christmas. (Ron Turenne / Getty Images)

— He drafts "center" Rafael Araujo last year. Oops.

— He acquires Rafer Alston, who I love, but apparently makes Jalen Rose look like a model citizen and has an inability to get along with cool people, let alone a hard-nosed, disciplinarian head coach like Sam Mitchell. Oh, and then he makes sure he comes out of this year's draft without a point guard to back him up, then signs everyone's favorite point-guard wannabe, Jose Calderon. Jay Williams appears to be next in line. Yes, the same Jay Williams who hasn't played in two years after a life-threatening motorcycle accident.

— He gives away All-Star Vince Carter. Yeah, I know Vince quit on the team, but I bet he doesn't quit on his new one (Nets). New Jersey is not exactly run in an ideal fashion either, but is twice as effective as Babcock's "system."

— He drafts Charlie Villanueva with the No. 7 pick. Hell, Charlie's own website had him excited about possibly going as high as number 12!

— Finally, he comes out last week and tells the team and fans they are going to be worse than before, because they basically made no additions and lost Donyell Marshall. As the Guinness guy would say, "Brilliant!" Oh, and they only have one point guard, who is typically disgruntled, etc., etc.

You have to sell the fans on winning now, or at least being on the road to winning. After the public backlash his statements caused, he immediately backtracked and said the team is on the right track. Yeah, right. Jalen probably said it best on "The Best Damn Sports Show, Period," when he said even the Bad News Bears coach was more optimistic than Babcock. It has to be a great feeling when Jalen's the most level-headed individual in the organization. Sorry Raptors fans, but it's going to be another long year. I give Babcock until December.


5. Is Doug Christie really better than Jerry Stackhouse and Marquis Daniels?
How the Mavericks can possibly conclude that Christie is the answer at shooting guard is beyond me, but they're planning on starting Christie over both these guys. It was just a year ago that fantasy draft magazines had Daniels going at the No. 29 pick in drafts! Not now, as Avery Johnson apparently doesn't like him or his game. That has got to change, as both Jerry Stackhouse and Daniels are much better players than Christie, who is somewhat uncertain after undergoing ankle surgery recently. At least if Doug and Jackie are starting, the chances of her doing something frighteningly hilarious are increased.


6. Can Deron Williams handle being "The Man" in Utah?
I think he can. He should be relatively unchallenged for the point guard job in Utah, and with Carlos Boozer, Matt Harpring, Andrei Kirilenko and Mehmet Okur around, I expect big things from Deron this season.


Houston, we have no problem. Look for the Stro-Show to be on full display this coming season. (Bill Baptist / Getty Images)


7. Is Stromile Swift really the answer to all of Houston's questions?
Yes. This is the year he breaks out. It has to be. He has the potential to be one of the most exciting big men in the league with his ability to run, jump and block shots. Look for a very satisfying year if you come away from your draft with the Stro Show. Stro and low, that is the tempo.


8. Can Jason Williams play for Pat Riley, and with Shaq and Flash?
Everyone seems to think he's a perfect fit here, and he probably is. He will get almost all the point guard minutes and could be in for the best season of his life. However, he always seems to be an instant away from fighting with a coach, player or fan, so buyer beware.


9. Can Larry Brown sleep at night knowing his starting center is Jerome James, who will be backed up by rookie Channing Frye?
2005 Rotoworld.com Fantasy Football Online Draft Guide




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No. This has disaster written all over it. Brown will put up with James' apathy for about two weeks, and will then move to Frye. When that doesn't work, look for Pat Ewing to make a comeback. Well, maybe not, but something will have to happen. There's also a lot of underlying tension with the Knicks regarding their overload at shooting guard. Jamal Crawford is going to be the odd man out, and I'm guessing he doesn't exactly handle it professionally. As Public Enemy once said, there's a poison goin' on.


10. Will Chris Webber make a fantasy impact this year?
I am guessing Webber owners are going to be disappointed this year. Samuel Dalembert's numbers are going up this year. Andre Iguodala's numbers are going up this year. Kyle Korver's numbers are going up this year. Allen Iverson's numbers aren't going down this year. Where's that leave C-Webb? I'm not sure. First of all, he has to stay healthy. Secondly, he has to keep his attitude and head in the game when he realizes he's not "The Man." What are the odds of that happening? Let's just say Chris may decide to smoke his troubles away this year, which is probably not a good thing.

-Doc